Two clubs. That's it. In over three decades of Premier League football, only Manchester United and Manchester City have won the English top flight and the Champions League in the same season. Arsenal now have a chance to become the third.
It's a short list for a reason. The Premier League season is a 38-game war of attrition. The Champions League is knockout football against Europe's wealthiest clubs. Doing both simultaneously isn't just a question of quality — it's a question of depth, fitness, and nerve. Most squads crack under that weight. Only the truly exceptional don't.
How United and City got there
United were first, in 1998/99. Ferguson's side won the league, then beat Bayern Munich at Camp Nou in one of the most dramatic finals in the competition's history — Ole Gunnar Solskjaer stabbing home in injury time after the Germans had led for most of the match. They also lifted the FA Cup that season, completing English football's first-ever treble.
Nine years later, a Ronaldo-inspired United side pipped Chelsea to the Premier League by two points, then beat the same opponents on penalties in a rain-soaked final in Moscow. Ronaldo himself missed in the shootout. John Terry slipped. Edwin van der Sar saved from Nicolas Anelka. United were European champions again.
They came agonizingly close twice more — reaching the Champions League final in 2009 and 2011 — but Guardiola's Barcelona ended both runs. Which makes what City did in 2022/23 feel like a kind of poetic revenge. Guardiola, now at City, swept to the treble with Rodri's winner against Inter Milan in Istanbul sealing the Champions League. Same manager, same formula, different club.
Liverpool did it first — just not in this era
Before any of this, Liverpool were the template. Bob Paisley's side won the First Division and the European Cup in 1976/77, beating Borussia Monchengladbach 3-1 in Rome. They repeated it in 1983/84 under Joe Fagan, with Ian Rush, Graeme Souness and Kenny Dalglish leading the charge — edging out Roma on penalties in the European Cup final after finishing three points clear of Southampton domestically.
Neither achievement counts in the Premier League era stats, but they matter for context. English clubs have form here. The blueprint exists.
What it would mean for Arsenal
If Arsenal win it, they become only the third Premier League club — and the sixth English club overall — to achieve the league and European Cup double in a single season. That alone repositions the club in a historical sense. This isn't just about trophies; it's about where the Gunners sit in the story of English football.
It also scrambles the betting landscape for next season. A club that wins the double doesn't just celebrate — it attracts. Better players, bigger sponsorships, a stronger hand in every transfer negotiation. Arsenal winning this wouldn't just be a moment. It would be a shift.
The list of clubs who've done it remains stubbornly small. Man United, Man City, and — back in the pre-Premier League days — Liverpool twice over. Across Europe, only Barcelona and Bayern Munich have won their domestic treble more than once.
Arsenal have a shot at history. The weight of that list is exactly the point.
